Far
by tranquillite
Summary: No cat has ever spoken of the arrival of the lost souls. Is everyone scared, or is it because they.. Forgot? Little by little a young apprentice uncovers the mysteries of a forgotten story that turns out to be nothing close to a fairy tale. The clans are to endure great peril from the danger that threatens them to extinction. Can they be saved?
1. Chapter One

If you listen closely, you can almost hear the whispers of the lost souls who have not yet traveled to StarClan. The cats who have been on earth for as long as anyone can remember, trying to finish their business. Many have forgotten them now, and they travel on land, weary of their unfinished business.

There aren't many of them, but they certaintly do exist.

Not every cat knows them. The story of the lost souls seemed to have died out, and very few elders still remember the time they came.  
For their revenge.

The war lasted for three days, killing many cats and wounding twice as much. No one knows why the lost souls stopped so suddenly, running away with no warning, but every cat who survived remembered one thing. They were dangerous.

Wiping everything away that held proof the lost souls existed, they were soon forgotten by most cats, and the rumors died out.

But, there is one cat. One different from the others. One that still remembers the war.

They're ready to tell everyone what they will suffer.

* * *

Scarletpaw froze as she saw cats rushed past her with horror stricken faces, drenched in thick, crimson blood. She pricked her ears to hear what was going on and caught screeches and yowls of fury from more cats on the other side.

She carefully peered closer, and saw cats. Hundreds of cats hissing and scratching, like their life depended on it. She shivered as she glimpsed many groups falling to the ground, laying unmoving, and more cats yowling in frustration, seeing they didn't have a chance against their enemies.

She looked to the enemy cats and saw that they didn't seem like cats at all. They were translucent, like ghosts.

But how were they able to physically attack!?

"I though clan cats knew better than to stand around and get killed!"

Scarletpaw froze as she felt solid contact with a cold shape and snarled in anger. "Get off of me, mousebrain!" She thrust her strong hind legs and threw the cat onto the ground. It hissed in annoyance and ran back into his group of safety.

Anger burned through her as Scarletpaw saw many ghost cats teaming up on her last surviving clan mates. Charging towards an attacker, she snarled is frustration as the opponent nimbly dodged from her clumsy paw. Her anger was blinding her, and she crazily swung herself all over the place, not caring who she wounded.

"Scarletpaw, no!" A cry woke her to her senses and she froze as soon as she saw what she had done.

The cry came from her brother Pebblepaw as she took a step back, her face struck with fright.

"Why? Why did you do this?" Pebblepaw angrily snarled at his sister, and she could do nothing but shake her head.

Then she ran off, leaving a trail of scarlet blood, not different from her pelt's shade.

She was a changed cat.

The ghostly cats too were retreating for no reason. Even though they could clearly see that they were conquering, they ran off into the bushes, leaving no trace of their arrival.

* * *

**Ten Years Later**

"We won't be able to get through this weather! It's much to cold, and we can barely see anything!" A raspy voice complained from the back of the group. Then with a groan, they fell onto the snow, wincing to get up.

A warrior ran over and helped, biting the scruff of the elder's, so it didn't need to use their strength. The warrior didn't mind carrying him, for he wasn't heavy at all. In fact, no cat seemed to have any kind of weight because they all hadn't eaten in days. Their fur was mangled and you could see the bones through every cat's pelt.

"We can't do this anymore Lavendertail. I can't do this anymore." A weak voice protested from the group protested. "Can't we just stay here for the night?" Several cats yowled weakly in approval but the tortoiseshell cat shook her head.

"If we stay here, we'll freeze to death! The storm's too vigorous for us to survive the night. We need to keep moving!" Her steady voice calmed the restless cats, but they still had unconvinced frowns. Lavendertail's eyes burned from the snow that flew into her face, but she blinked them away and squinted.

"Everyone, look! I see light!" She exclaimed with excitement, making every cat sharply look forward. "C'mon, hurry!" Lavendertail rushed forward, only to stop with disgust. "It's a twoleg place. I can't believe our luck!" She groaned in sarcasm and every cat sadly looked down.

"Actually, seeing from what we've faced, maybe it won't be so bad living with a twoleg." A small meow broke the silence that Lavendertail made.

"Are you kidding? We are clan cats! Twolegs have been our enemies for centuries!" Her fierce growl made every cat's fur stand on end.

"We don't look like clan cats. In fact, we aren't even acting like clan cats, eating rats and living in dumps. Too much of our kind has died Lavendertail. Beside's twoleg nests are warm, and they have plenty of food. What's the downside?" A younger warrior spoke from the scared group, and made Lavendertail turn angrily towards him.

"Downside? DOWNSIDE? We're talking about twolegs here! They have poisoned our land, destroyed our home, scared away our prey, and even hurt and killed our cats! They are the reason we are living like this!" She snarled loudly, her cheeks turning hot in frustration. "If it weren't for them, we wouldn't be so humiliated by our weakness! We have no leader because of them!"

The cats hung their heads in guiltiness. It was true, they had no leader, and their deputy couldn't travel to the moonpool to claim their leader name after they were forced out by the twolegs and looked down upon other clans. They had no choice but to face the dangers outside of their used-to-be territory. Slowly, the cats lost track of time and began to give up. That is until now.

"But look at what we've become now. We are nothing." An elder softly spoke in the crowd.

"We are not nothing! We are StormClan! We are the strongest among the rival clans, the most graceful among every cat and the most loyal in everything. What happened to YOUR loyalty?! What has everyone become? You are all soft kittypets after all what has happened." Lavendertail sobbed in disappointment of her clan. "Why?"

"Well technically we aren't kittypets yet..." An obnoxious voice called out through the crowed. "You can call us that when we move into twoleg dens." Snorting, the tom strutted out of the group and headed toward a nearby twoleg nest.

"Why you...!" The deputy's voice was cut off when yowls broke through, and shadows leaped out of the bushes. They were being ambushed! The clan cats tried to escape but they were immediately surrounded by the vicious attackers. Every cat's pelt stood on an end, and they were sharing nervous glances with each other. Some tried to look for spaces to escape through, but they all were enclosed by every enemy.

A strong, broad shouldered cat stepped into the circle and his lips curled into a disgusting smile. His snarl made the nervous cats jump and his grin widened.

Lavendertail looked around for the tom that walked off and felt relieved. _At least there will be some of StormClan left after these rogues are finished with us._

But her thoughts immediately vanished when she saw the tom struggling to break free from a rogue and was thrown into the enclosed circle. _  
_

"Now, come with me." The leader of the rogues voice was deep and scratchy, and it was a voice that made the cats shiver in more fear. The didn't obey what he said, for they were not used to taking orders from someone that was not their leader.

"I said move!" His snarl rang through the night, and the cats rushed to catch up with the moving group. They were led into a broken down shed that was fairly large, but it stank of crow food. A queen was pushed into the shed and shrieked in pain. The rogues glared at her in disapproval and she whimpered an apology.

"Now, if anyone of you move, you won't be here to see the sunrise." The leader's voice was tinted with satisfaction after the cats stood stiff still. "Not that my cats won't have a problem with you scrawny twigs."

And the clan was terrified, now knowing that all hope was lost.

* * *

**Thanks for reading this little work in progress of mine! Hopefully it's way better than my other old stories...**

**Anyway, sorry for it being so short! I just couldn't wait to publish it so people could review it to make my writing skills better... **

**Please review and tell me what was confusing and what needed work on. **

_**And I promise that I will make Chapter Two at least 1000 words long!**_

**Oh, and please review! It really, really helps with the story a lot.**


	2. Chapter Two

The rogues hungrily lick their blood stained lips, and the clan cats clung onto each other for support. No one knew what was to become of them, but they understood one thing: they were in danger.

Lavendertail curled into a ball and sighed. Surviving four long months of the cruel world, only to be rewarded with.. this! She was suddenly fueled with an outrageous anger and her tail twitched. She didn't deserve to lead these cats! She couldn't convince them to stay in StormClan, and she couldn't even defend herself! She was about to lash out at the rogues, only to feel something gently touch her shoulder. Turning, she saw the tom that tried to leave in the first place.

"Careful Lavendertail. Those rogues can kill us as fast as you can say mouse dung! Better be more careful around these parts." The tom murmured softly. He looked down in embarrassment. Lavendertail smiled.

The lavender-coloured cat relaxed and her misty eyes looked up to the breaking roof of the shed and gazed up to the sparkling sea of stars. "StarClan... What did we ever do to you to deserve this hell?" She trailed off, her eyes closing in tiredness.

"Lavendertail?" The Siamese cat blinked his emerald green eyes with confusion as he looked towards the mangled deputy. He too, was tired from the fight he put up with when he was trying to escape. His build, which used to be strong and sturdy, was now frail and thin from the hunger that crawled in his belly. Pricking his ears, he looked to Lavendertail in alarm and exclaimed, "Specklefern is having her kits!"

The clan cats hurried towards the tawny queen moaning in pain, and a scrawny, grey cat padded up. "Get out of the way! Move!" Though the cat seemed weak, her arrogance was still loyal to her. She crouched beside the queen and whispered in her ear. The queen nodded and strained to control her pain.

The rogues noticed the commotion and headed towards the cats in curiosity. They squeezed through the clan cats and watched with humourous expressions.

StormClan glared at their enemies and some cats were stiff. What right did the rogues have to watch their queen give birth just for their entertainment?! Though they thought this, they said nothing, knowing what consequences it would bring them. So, they ignored the ruckus and waited in anticipation.

Everyone's eyes widened as the queen screamed loudly. There was just so much blood! And the queen was not used to this much spectators.

"What's with the commotion?" A voice rose through the gasps of surprise in the crowd. Each head turned his way, and some smaller cats tried to peek over to see what was happening. Amongst the crowd of whispers was a sturdy cat with broad shoulders. His emerald eyes gleamed in the starlight and a worried expression was planted on his face.

He seemed to have a different vibe to him, a more caring and passionate kind. Lavendertail couldn't but help feel welcome in his precense, although he had done nothing but.

"I'm very sorry for intruding. I am Stone, second in command of Slate." He dipped his head, and all of StormClan exchanged glances. Could they trust him at all?

* * *

**Back into the Past**

Scarletpaw was breathing heavily, and she slowed to a stop, sure that no one was following her. She was safe... for now. The image of the dead body of her mother lay heavily in her mind, and she just couldn't shake the feeling that something very terrible had happened.

"Scarletpaw!" The familiar voice of her brother called out nearby, the young female apprentice looked around in fear for a place to hide, with no avail. Wimpering, Scarletpaw shut her eyes closed and waited for her brother to yell at her.

"Where are you?" Pebblepaw's voice echoed through the strangly calm forest, and Scarletpaw was puzzled. Did he not see her, standing right in front of her? Opening her eyes, the crimson apprentice saw her black pelted brother right in front of her with a horrified expression, frozen in place. She tried to yelp out with surprise, but nothing came out of her maw.

"Hello, Scarletpaw." A deep mumble interuppted her thoughts.

Whipping her head around, the apprentice widened her eyes as she soaked in what she was seeing. It was one of the cats from the battle! But it wasn't the one who attacked her.

It's dull, green eyes stared into her warm, brown ones and it sighed. "I'm sorry, Scarletpaw, but you have broken a rule. One that can never be fixed again." It paused, allowing Scarletpaw to feel anxious. What was going to happen?

"What do you mean?" The appreantice asked with a nervous tone. "Who are you?"

The other cat laughed out loud with a deep, raspy voice and turned to look at Scarletpaw once more. "If you need to know, I am Lithe. Though I am not Lithe at all." Lithe spoke the words as if he had spoken them before countless times, and a faraway look appeared onto his face.

Shaking his head, the pale grey cat returned his attention to Scarletpaw and narrowed his eyes. "You see, Scarletpaw, you have broken a rule, and there are consequences for rule breaking."

"I have no idea what you are talking about!" Scarletpaw replied, interupting Lithe. "I didn't do anything!" Panic was planted on her face, and her voice was high pitched and scared.

Lithe was looking quite annoyed at the small, crimson apprentice and he snorted. "I'm trying to tell you something here, you fool. Your foolish behaiviour has lead to your demise."

"W-what do you mean?" Scarletpaw whimpered as the sturdy tom neared her, his green eyes gleaming. She shrank into something as small as she could, and closed her eyes.

"What I'm saying is, Scarletpaw.." He continued, snarling the sentence.

"N-no, you don't mean it!" Scarletpaw yelped, frozen in fear.

"It is your time to die."

* * *

**Oooooo, another cliffhanger! Will they ever stop? I hope I did good on this one, do you like it? Leave a review of what you thought.**

**Also, I would like to hear what you think might happen in the next chapter! Write that in your review also please!**

**Thanks for reading! **


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